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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of 73 pardons and 70 commutations issued in his final hours in office.
Bannon, who was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential race, was accused last year of defrauding Trump supporters in an effort to raise private funds to build the president’s wall on the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.
“Bannon has been an important leader in the Conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump did not forgive himself, his family members or lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was at the forefront of the unsuccessful efforts to have the results of the 2020 presidential election annulled, according to sources.
Giuliani has not been charged with any crime, but investigators have been investigating his activities in Ukraine.
Trump was indicted last week by the Democratic-led House of inciting his supporters to storming the US Capitol on January 6. He could face a trial in the Senate and could be barred from running for president again if convicted.
Trump leaves office on Wednesday (January 20), when Joe Biden is sworn in as the nation’s next president.
White House officials had argued to Trump that he should not forgive himself or his family because it could appear that they are guilty of crimes, according to a source familiar with the situation.
READ: In farewell speech, Trump urges to pray for the next administration without mentioning Biden
White House officials had also advised Trump not to spare Bannon. The two men have recently rekindled their relationship when Trump sought support for his unproven claims of voter fraud, an official familiar with the situation said.
The president also pardoned Elliott Broidy, a former Trump fundraiser who pleaded guilty last year to violating foreign lobbying laws, and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on charges of corruption.
Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were indicted for federal gun crimes, also received pardons.
Another name on the pardons list was former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, who was sentenced for stealing a trade secret about autonomous vehicles months before briefly heading up the rival unit of Uber Technologies.
PROMINENT ALLIES
The power of forgiveness, which comes from the Constitution of the United States, is one of the most extensive available to a president. While pardons are generally granted to individuals who have been prosecuted, pardons can cover conduct that has not yet led to legal proceedings.
A pardon is not reviewable by other branches of government, and the president does not have to give a reason for issuing it. But the power of forgiveness is not absolute; only applies to federal crimes.
Trump previously pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI about his conversation with the former Russian ambassador, and commuted the prison sentence for Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress during his investigation into Russian interference in the presidential elections. 2016. election.
Bannon, 67, was the last prominent political ally to receive clemency from Trump, who has often used the powers of the executive branch to reward loyalists and punish his enemies.
Bannon, a former CEO and co-founder of the right-wing news outlet Breitbart, is recognized as the architect behind the rise of right-wing “America First” populism.
He was a key influencing factor behind some of Trump’s strong anti-immigration policies in the early days of the Trump presidency, as well as the border wall that was one of the key promises of the Trump campaign.
He was fired from his post at the White House in August 2017.
Bannon can still be charged in New York state court, where a pardon would not help him, said Daniel R. Alonso, a former prosecutor who now works at the Buckley law firm. Fraud prosecutions are often filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Alonso said.
READ: Trump ‘provoked’ US Capitol siege, mob ‘fed lies’, says McConnell
Broidy, who was one of Trump’s top fundraisers during the 2016 campaign, pleaded guilty in October to violating lobbying laws by trying to influence the administration on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian interests.
Lil Wayne, 38, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to illegally possessing a firearm and faces up to 10 years in prison. He has voiced support for Trump’s criminal justice reform efforts.
Kodak Black, 23, who was born Bill Kahan Kapri, is in federal prison for making a false statement to purchase a firearm.
Levandowski, 40, was sentenced last August to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in March. He was not in custody, but a judge had said he could enter custody once the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.
The White House said Levandowski was “an American businessman who led Google’s efforts to create autonomous driving technology.”
The statement added that he had “paid a significant price for his actions and plans to dedicate his talents to promoting the public good.” Alphabet Inc’s Google did not immediately comment.
Levandowski transferred more than 14,000 Google files, including product design and development programs, to his personal laptop before leaving, and while negotiating a deal with Uber, where he briefly ran its self-driving car unit.
